I was originally supposed to be Brazil during this time but that got bumped to July. My FIL had set up a vacation for us up in nearby Chatsworth which I was going to miss, but now I was able to do both. It all worked out!

The cook site was at a city park and was really nice. Lots of trees and a covered pavilion that reminded me of the one in Lynchburg. The South’s finest cook teams were there and made up a field of 35 teams, over half of which were previous grand champions.

I had a real good but not perfect cook, I was concerned about chicken and ribs getting over done. But as we say, it is what it is. At awards they called the Top 10 for each category and Overall. I got a 8th in chicken, 4th in ribs, 1st in pork, and a 6th in brisket, all of which was good enough for Reserve Grand Champion. I was really happy needless to say! I hope I can work this one into my schedule for next year. It was very well organized and in a great location. And very cool trophies too!

We had another very successful Swamp Boys Q School this past weekend in Clermont Florida. Twenty BBQ enthusiasts came in from 5 states to learn the finer points of BBQ, and we covered everything from the back yard to catering to competing. The weather was a little on the warm side but we survived and all left knowing a lot more than when we started. Watch for these folks at a contest near you. I expect they will be “making some noise.”

A big thank you to Clark and Bridgette Whitcomb for all of the help and support during the class. You made my life much easier and fed us some great grub. I really appreciate you two. And also to Dorsey Odell for playing guitar, singing, and entertaining us Friday night. We enjoyed rousing renditions of The FBA Song, Team Unknown Blues, Shoot You in the Ass With a BB Gun, and many others. It kept the raccoons and possums away for the night which is always a plus, thank you Mr. Odell for that service.